C-Section Rates On The Rise

Oh how typical!! I like the bulk of the article. But any news person will tell you the last line leaves the most lasting impression. Look at that last line- Now why did they do that, when that's not what they said in the article at all? That last line leaves one with the impression that C Sections are a "Demand problem" not a "supplier problem"

In asia, sure it's no secret that *some* women have Elective C Sections for no good reason. But the VAST majority of unnecessary Sections are due to the physiologically UNSUPPORTIVE environment and birthing conditions in hospitals. The Medical profession seems to totally have forgotten the basic needs of the laboring woman. Most doctors no longer have any knowledge of how to "do" natural birth. They Joke around, Question, Poke, Prod, Invade, Intervene, Cut, Reposition mama for their own convenience and often (maybe unwittingly but almost certainly unnecessarily) Scare the Bejeezus out of moms by reacting with anxiety to every blip on those damn machines they insist on using rather than listen with a fetoscope over a longer time interval (that takes clinical skills, wisdom and judgement- ahem, maybe in our sue-happy culture, fear of lawsuits also comes into play).

But even before that, or if you're lucky and your doc isn't "one of those" then the bright lights, constant stream of personnel and strangers coming and going, and hammering a mama with information, questions, choices etc. interfere MAJORLY with the production of normal and essential labor hormones.

The job of the laboring woman, and everyone around her is to DECREASE THE NEOCORTICAL brain activity and INCREASE the old brain activity. It should be a quiet, dim, warm, supportive and, well, maybe sacred environment. Helpers should be close, and comforting, but silently attentive. Don't ask her if she wants a drink--bring it already. Let mom go into laborland. That's where she needs to be to get this job done.